My grandparents came to visit my brother and I for the weekend here in Chicago! We had a great dinner last night, and then met up for brunch this morning at Sweet Water Café. A friend of mine had actually told me several times that I should go here, and I’m glad we did!
The restaurant is located in downtown, just south of the river near Michigan Ave. They had both lunch and breakfast available, and I had a hard time deciding! I ended up getting the egg white omelet with rye bread and a side of fruit. The omelet had spinach and tomatoes and was good, but it was a bit greasy for me. The rye bread was amazing, as was their homemade strawberry preserves to go on top! The fruit was also fresh and delicious; the perfect addition!
After brunch, we wandered over to Michigan Ave and chatted while we waited for our boat tour! We signed up for an Architecture Tour of Chicago from the river. The boat tour we took was run by Windella. I had taken this tour a little over a year ago with my Mom and sister-in-law and loved it, so I knew the company would be great.
We were incredibly lucky with weather this weekend! We actually had to find seats in the shade because it was so sunny and warm! Although I had been on the tour before, I really enjoyed it this time!
Our tour guide gave us plenty of facts about the buildings, as well as the history of the city. The word “Chicago” came from a Native American word meaning “wild onion.” This made me laugh… Also, speaking of food, on part of our tour there was an overwhelming smell of chocolate. Before I had a chance to ask my group if I was crazy or if they smelled it too, the tour guide told us that it smelled that way because of a chocolate factory near by! I felt like I was in Willy Wonka’s Factory.
One thing that I find amazing about Chicago is how it was able to rebuild after the Chicago fire. The fire began on Sunday, October 8th, 1871 and burned for three days, killing hundreds and destroying about 4 square miles of the city. It’s rumored that the fire was started by Miss O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lantern in barn, others think it was started by a meteor shower. Either way, the city completely rebuilt itself and hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition only 22 years later.
After the tour, we took our grandparents up to Lincoln Park to see our apartments. Then it was off to dinner for me, my grandparents and another family friend. We had dinner at Caliterra, which is a restaurant inside the Wyndham hotel. I didn’t take any pictures but I had a chopped salad to start with and a margherita pizza from the starters menu. It was absolutely delicious and we all enjoyed our dinners, although the portions were pretty big! Lots of leftovers!
Have you ever done any fun touristy things in your own city?